Ska Music Lessons Gwynn Oak MD

If you want to be rude, play everything on the upbeat. The basic building block of past and present ska is the accented and of each beat (Ex. 1). The tendency is to strum this apparently simple rhythm (often called the "clip") with upstrokes. But you get a fuller sound if you downstroke the upbeats because, with downstrokes, you hit the bigger strings first.

Subjects
Songwriting, Piano, Music Theory, Guitar, Music PerformanceAges Taught
4 to 99Specialties
I studied and performed jazz guitar in college, though I perform a wide variety of genres (pop, rock, blues, show tunes, etc.) professionally. My specialties on piano would be pop and rock, as well as beginning piano in any genre.Education
University of Maryland Baltimore County - music performance-jazz-guitar - 8/2005-5/2009 (Bachelor's degree received)Membership Organizations
TakeLessons Music Teacher

Ska Building Blocks By David Burk

Sessions From Guitar Player, February '99

If you want to be rude, play everything on the upbeat. The basic building block of past and present ska is the accented and of each beat (Ex. 1). The tendency is to strum this apparently simple rhythm (often called the "clip") with upstrokes. But you get a fuller sound if you downstroke the upbeats because, with downstrokes, you hit the bigger strings first.

Modern skameisters often play clip rhythms on the treble strings (G, B, and E). However, the '60s Jamaican originators -- ska's "rude boys" -- favored fuller voicings as shown in Ex. 2, a I-VIm-IIm-V progression in G. In bar 3, notice how the Am changes inversions.

For a truly rude flavor, add dominant-7th chords and sliding chromatic movement from either above or below the target harmony (Ex. 3). As illustrated here, occasionally it's effective to play on the downbeat.

Often called a "stuckey," a typical ska single-note riff features sixteenth-notes, played clean and very staccato (Ex. 4). Note the characteristic chromatic movement, as well as the arpeggiated chords.

These examples sound great with wah and work well at tempos from 150 to 190 bpm.

Listen to Example 4

DAVID BURK is a Minneapolis-based guitarist, producer, writer, and teacher. For info on Do You Know What Time It Is, an album by Burk's world-beat group, Labor Party, contact Nabi Musicworks, Box 8621, Minneapolis, MN 55408; (612) 823-6204.

Because being in tune is so important, intonating a guitar should be something every player should learn to do. If your guitar neck has too much bow in the wrong spot, or high strings at the nut, playing in tune will be a huge challenge. Adjusting your trussrod is another thing guitarists should be able to do. Unfortunately, leveling your frets and getting your nut slots the correct height is not so easily done at home, but it can make a tremendous difference in playability and tuning.